Application Deadline
August 1st

Admissions and Application Process

A class of 46 students is admitted once each year. The application deadline is August 1 of the year prior to planned matriculation. The Program begins in late August. We do not have early decision or rolling admissions. Early application submission does not guarantee early review of your application. All applications will be fully reviewed and equally considered as long as they are submitted to CASPA by August 1 and verified by CASPA by August 31.

Decisions of the Admissions Committee are based on the applicant’s discerned ability to project genuine concern for the well-being of patients and families, as well as demonstrated academic ability to master the content of the program. Meeting the minimum prerequisites does not guarantee you will be interviewed or admitted into the program. Applicants are evaluated initially on their:

academic records including overall and science GPAs as calculated on the CASPA application

Northeastern University’s Physician Assistant program does not award or grant advanced placement or course credit to any admitted students regardless of previous education or work experience. While Northeastern University’s Physician Assistant Program is committed to the education of students from diverse backgrounds, all applicants must still meet the Program’s rigorous criteria and are not given any priority in admission (admissions decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, genetics, nationality, veteran’s status, disability or age). Since participating in CASPA, we have received an increasing number of applications each year. Last year there were close to 900 CASPA applications. We interview approximately 120 candidates who best meet the prerequisites and show greatest potential. Interviews are usually conducted from mid-September and early October. Applicants selected for personal interviews will be notified via email between August and late-September. The low-stress, 2-day interview process provides applicants the opportunity to:

attend a class

meet with program leadership for an overview of the program and discussion of the financial aid process

meet in small groups with second year PA students as well as have lunch with first year PA students

meet with a program graduate to discuss what the professional life of PAs is like and how well the program prepared them for the work

tour the Behrakis Health Sciences Center clinical lab

interview one-on-one with 3 members of the program faculty and leadership

Northeastern University PA Program does NOT have rolling admissions. All completed applications will be reviewed concurrently as long as they have been submitted to CASPA by the August 1 deadline and have been verified by CASPA by August 31.

The class matriculating in August 2018 has been selected. The CASPA portal will open in April, 2018 for the class that will matriculate in August 2019.

It is VERY important to review the FAQ section of our website before completing your application.

CASPA Application:

Northeastern University’s PA Program is a participant in CASPA (Centralized Application Service for PAs). CASPA allows you to apply to multiple participating programs, verifies your application for accuracy, processes the application, and forwards it to your designated PA programs. The deadline for submission to CASPA for the Northeastern University PA Program is August 1 of the year prior to planned matriculation.

Northeastern presently offers two degree pathways that appear on the CASPA portal: the traditional MS Program and the DUAL MS/MPH Program. Please make sure you choose the correct option for your desired course of studies when you apply via the Northeastern CASPA portal.

In addition to the core CASPA application, the CASPA portal allows us to request program-specific information from applicants through the Program Materials section. Remember to choose one of the two degree pathways that are available before starting your CASPA application:

Traditional MS Program

OR

Dual MS/MPH Program.

Be sure to carefully read the information below before completing your CASPA application.

In order for your application to be considered for either pathway complete and be reviewed, the program must have the following material mailed directly to our office:

The Northeastern Application Fee must be in the form of a personal check or money order made payable to Northeastern University. We are unable to accept cash or credit card payments. The $75 fee is waived if you are a current Northeastern senior in a bachelor’s degree program or an alumnus/a who received a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern.

Please note, we do not send you the Data Sheet once we receive your CASPA application. It is your responsibility to access the Data Sheet from our web page even if you have not yet received an acknowledgement from us that we received your CASPA application.

Northeastern University requires that at least two references submitted to CASPA be from individuals with whom you have worked in a clinical environment. The references can be from any combination of health care professionals with whom you work including, but not limited to, PAs, MDs, NPs, RNs, PTs, OTs, EMTs, RTs, ATs, etc. The evaluators should comment on your clinical background including an assessment of your clinical performance, the type of hands-on duties you perform, and your ability to relate to patients and others on the health care team. References from shadowing experiences are not appropriate as you are observing rather than actually performing hands-on activities yourself.

Emailed or faxed Application Data Sheets or clinical references will not be accepted. If you intend to mail your Application Data Sheet and Northeastern Application Fee within 2 weeks prior to the August 1 deadline, we strongly recommend that you send it using a mail service which provides you with a tracking number to ensure that we receive it in time and that you can verify its arrival. You must begin your CASPA application first as your CASPA ID number is required on the Application Data Sheet.

We will notify you via email when your CASPA application is verified. You will receive another email from the Program when your Application Data Sheet and Northeastern Application Fee is received. We will not review your application until all material is received by the Program and verified by CASPA.

Tuition & Fees

Tuition for students beginning the program in the fall of 2017 is $14,380 per term, for a total of $43,140/year. Neither the Double Husky Scholarship nor the Lifetime Learning Membership are available to students enrolled in the Physician Assistant Program. Additional fees are also listed below and are subject to change annually.

By law, all students in Massachusetts are required to have health insurance. If a student does not elect to take the Northeastern University student health insurance plan ($2159 for the 2017-2018 academic year), evidence of other comparable health insurance coverage must be provided. More information about the Northeastern University student health insurance plan can be found here.

Information about financial aid is available through The Office of Student Financial Services (617.373.5899). There are several types of need-based financial aid in the form of government loans as well as a Northeastern loan available only for physician assistant students.

Working while attending the program is not feasible. There are no graduate assistantships, Double Husky Scholarships, or Lifetime Learning Memberships available for PA students. Information about procedures regarding refunds of tuition and fees is available through The Office of Student Financial Services website.

Northeastern University participates in the federal government’s Yellow Ribbon Program for veterans. Information about the program (including eligibility, benefits, and how to apply) can be accessed on university’s Yellow Ribbon website here.

The John D. O’Bryant African-American Institute offers a graduate fellowship to students of African origin who demonstrate high standards of leadership and have a record of community service. More information about the fellowship can be accessed here.